


First Contact

by followmetoyourdoom



Category: Original Work
Genre: Aliens, Halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 07:53:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8437453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/followmetoyourdoom/pseuds/followmetoyourdoom
Summary: If an alien’s first contact with us was on Halloween they would be really confused.





	

It was so strange. The humans were so much more diverse than they had previously thought. Some were green and had weird antenna sticking out of their heads, others seemed to have mutated with animals, some looked to have gotten lost in the wrong time period.

Maple sympathized with those; they too often popped into the wrong time stream.

Some humans appeared to be mages, that would definitely have to be reported. And… was that… a skeleton? Did some humans have exoskeletons? Why were they not informed of this?

As they wandered through the streets, very conscious of their inaccurate human disguise, Maple began to wonder if all humans were this size- oh no, there was a larger one, wearing their underpants on the outside… How peculiar.

Well, if that was the ways things worked around here.

Maple clicked their fingers as they walked behind a tree and emerged in a costume similar to the large human. Except without the cape, the cape seemed like a dumb idea. Then again… humans were dumb.

"Are you superwoman or superman?" a voice asked, taking Maple by surprise.

"Um… both?" they answered, not knowing the difference.

The small human nodded, apparently pleased with this answer, and ran off to a group of other small humans.

In fact, Maple noted, they were more medium humans. Around twelve to fourteen sun cycles by their calculations. It was really very hard to tell with humans.

Another human began to walk towards Maple, accompanied by the first.

Oh dear, was this… had they been found out?

The second human walked up to Maple and stopped dead, refusing to look them in the eyes. A nudge from the first human and the second cleared their throat.

"Hi, I'm Trace. My friend here says you're both superwoman and superman?" Maple nodded, sure that any moment now their disguise was about to be found out. "I just want to say," Trace continued, "that I'm grateful."

Maple frowned, "For what?"

"Oh um, I'm bi-gendered and it's just really cool to find someone else that is. Or am I assuming incorrectly? Sorry, sometimes I-"

"No, no, it's alright hu-Trace." Maple introduced themselves and did a quick search in their database for the phrase the human had used. Oh, apparently humans were able to classify genders. Well, Maple had to admit, that was pretty neat.

They searched through the terms and a particular one caught their eye.

Back on their own planet, people just were what they were, but sometimes Maple felt quite lost without a name to put to what they were.

But now, they had found one. Non-binary.

Of course, Maple would have to do a lot more research before they concluded that this indeed was a word that could be theirs, but even so...

All this happened in a mere millisecond.

Maple blinked once. Twice. Then cleared their throat. "I'm afraid I'm not bi-gendered, no. However, back where I'm from I believe there are many people who could identify as such. I hope that helps?"

The human, Trace, nodded slightly, and then dashed off back to the rest of the humans, taking their friend with them.

Perhaps humans were not as confusing as they originally thought.

And yet… now they were ringing doorbells and being given sweets in exchange for leaving.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Maple looked around once more, taking in other humans.

Furiously taking notes, they hid behind a house to teleport to another location. Surely a change in scenery would help them.

They popped into existence in what appeared to be a human waste disposal cubical, though it was a very dingy one. Maple's head was too busy spinning from the teleportation to focus very much on their surroundings.

They did however need to make sure they were in the right place though.

Maple opened the door and screamed, falling backwards in shock. There was a dead human, right there.

"Are you okay?" the 'dead' human asked.

The alien screamed again, clinging to the porcelain bowl with fear.

The 'dead' human looked over their shoulder, "Hey, hey Cheryl! Cheryl! Need ya, girl. I think this one's had a bit too much to drink."

Another human walked over, this one significantly less dead, but still with copious amounts of blood on her and even all over her clothes.

Maple gestured wildly. "You have blood on you!" they said in a rather high pitched voice.

"Oh this?" Cheryl laughed, "This is fake blood, bro. Obviously." She turned to the 'dead' human, "Let's get this poor sod out of here, Lily."

With Cheryl and Lily's help, Mapel was guided through what the alien could only imagine must be some sort of human sacrifice field. What did the humans call the worst place? Hell? Yes that was it. The two women guided Maple through hell.

Hundreds of humans were covered in blood  - which certainly didn't look fake - and decorations of death hung on the walls.

The smell of chemicals and body odor was overwhelming, and Maple almost fainted there and then. If indeed they could faint as humans do. As it was, their human disguise began to flicker precariously until a particularly drunk patron scared their disguise off entirely.

When the two women reached the front door, people in costumes still pouring in, they complimented Maple on their costume.

"It must've been too dark in the loo to see ya properly."

"Yeah, looks super realistic, nice job. You live close by? Think you can get there yourself?"

Maple nodded, eyes wide, the leaves on their head quivering. Thankfully, Cheryl and Lily took it to be the wind and waved as they left the alien to wander away.

Chest heaving, Maple fluttered her wings and disappeared around the corner.

They had to get home.

Trembling, they tried to recall their human disguise, but to no avail. Xocks! They were going to have to teleport a long way, and in their current anxious condition, this would hurt.

Twig fingers clicked and they were back at their ship. On the floor. In a heap.

The leaves under them seemed much like their own, crunchy and brittle. They should move, Maple didn't want to hurt the leaves after all.

But they had to move quickly - their ship was automated and would take off soon.

A strong breeze rustled over them, knocking the strength out of them and blowing their light body between the trees away from their ship. The leaves followed, covering Maple like a protective barrier. Like a wall.

Without the energy to teleport again or even move now, amber eyes watched sadly as their ship left, zipping away between the canopy with a flash as if it never was.

Maple stayed there for a while, leaves shivering and shaking. They didn't know if it was their own or the earth leaves.

Eventually, they closed their eyes.

Minutes passed.

Hours passed.

They thought this was the end, and such a cruel end it was, to expire thousands of lightyears from their own planet, from their family.

It was a fox that found them. Snuffling at the leaves, uncovering the alien with their snout.

Maple hated what they were about to do.

What they had to do to get home.

A twig met the fox's forehead and the animal dropped and turned to dust.

The fox had given Maple enough energy to shake the remaining earth leaves off them, enough energy to stumble to their feet and use their communicator, the mental mind map that connected them to their planet and its people.

It took them four hours to sent the distress signal, and it was all they could afterwards to rest their weary body against a tree.

Earth fauna did not give much energy.

Perhaps a larger animal would pass by; Maple both wanted and didn't want this to happen.

The rescue ship came quickly, collecting up the alien as if they were a pile of leaves.

And really, for a while, that's all they had been.


End file.
